Occult Detective Fiction

Weird Tales magazine is known for launching a number of sub-genres of fiction—cosmic horror, swords & sorcery, dark fantasy, and others. It has also greatly added to existing genres like science fiction, horror, and—a personal favorite of editor Jonathan Maberry—weird mystery stories. Or, as they became known—occult detective tales.

Bubble, bubble, toil, and murder... When a woman is found dead near her village in Norfolk, the verdict is suicide. Not everyone agrees. Detective James Simpson is ordered to investigate and he brings Agatha Aston, Betty Simpson and Talleyrand the hound, with him. They stumble across a tale of murder that stretches back two centuries. Part occult story, part murder mystery - this creepy tale is steeped in witchcraft and strange rural festivals where everything is not as it seems. The second Agatha Aston murder mystery is full of laughs, twists and things that go bump in the night. Golden ...

When the body of "how-to" book writer Terry Holiday is found by Aster Paterson in her flower garden, the townspeople of Haven are shocked. But they're even more surprised when the beloved bookshop owner insists that the spirit of her late husband Peter Paterson led her to the grim discovery. Only Aster seems unsurprised—she's been baking his favorite shortbread cookies every day, hoping to lure his ghost back home . . . Even Maureen is a little skeptical—until Peter's ghost appears in the bookshop window for all to see.

Against all odds, Constance has found a way back to the place of her origins, New York City in the late 1800s, and sets off on a quest to prevent the events that lead to the deaths of her sister and brother, and stop Manhattan’s most infamous serial killer, Dr. Enoch Leng of the seminal Pendergast novel The Cabinet of Curiosities, before his nefarious experiments come to fruition.

Medical-school-dropout police detective Richelle Dadd is...well, dead. But that won't stop her from trying to hold on to her house in a divorce battle with a bitter husband. Or keep her from digging into her own murder, to discover who put the bullet into her heart. Or from coming to terms with her Gypsy heritage. And it certainly won't stand in the way of finding out the reason she's been reanimated as a zombie assassin, no longer in control of her life.

NYPD detective John Decker thinks his family’s dark past is behind him when he’s offered the job as town sheriff in his sleepy southern hometown. Happy for a change in scenery, and a quieter way of life, he accepts the position. But when a pair of mutilated bodies are found in the woods just days before a massive storm is due to make landfall, the similarities dredge up the horrific memories of his mother’s unsolved murder almost thirty years ago. A murder that drove his father to madness and an early grave, and John to abandon his high school sweetheart and escape to New York.

Gabriel Radu isn’t your average detective... Residing in the quaint but quirky town of Denmark, Tennessee, the semi-immortal Gabriel is called upon from time to time to assist local law enforcement in solving unusual crimes that often end in murder. And by unusual, the crimes always involve something he's quite familiar with: magic. When Sheriff Billy McCain comes calling for help in solving the brutal slayings of a pair of homeless men whose corpses have been marked by a dark snake and scythe symbol, Gabriel accepts the challenge to help solve the case and bring the killer or killers to ...

Hard-boiled police detective Richelle Dadd is back. And in a whole world of fresh trouble. Still...well, dead as the result of a Gypsy curse, she must now face life as a single mom. Not only does Richelle have to worry about all the usual stuff - her baby's health and well-being and keeping a roof over their heads by working a precarious dead-end job - there's also her homicidal ex-boyfriend to fear, the father of her child, stalking them both day and night with the avowed intent of kidnapping baby Tamara.

Blackhall Manor has witnessed many dark crimes, long before five teenage girls break in to play the Midnight Game. It was supposed to be a game, but only four girls come home. Detective Sarah Noble has just returned to the force, and no one knows more about Blackhall Manor than her. Except perhaps Elliott Carter, who is only seven but has seen things in his dreams most adults could never imagine. It's a case that will bring them together and shake Sarah to her core. Will she be ready to meet the Midnight Man?

County Cork, Ireland. Skye Brigid O'Shea is still struggling to fit in. Still branded an outsider in her adopted rural town, the ex-pat American strives to get her inherited B&B shipshape despite the flaky local help. But after waking with a fright from a dream her fae cat claims she borrowed, the discombobulated newcomer trips over a dead body in her pub. Not about to head the suspect list again, the nosy former nurse chases down clues both mundane and otherworldly.

Despite the rumors, I'm definitely not a witch, my VHS tapes are not cursed, and renting one absolutely will not hurt anyone. Unless they forget to return it on time—late fees are killer. Kidding! As a werewolf, I can smell everyone's emotions. Guilt stinks like rotten fish, happiness is citrusy, and buttery popcorn...well, that's just my snack. But it's all too overwhelming. To make matters worse, a visitor ends up dead in front of my video rental shop and rumors spread fast. Gossiping ghosts and busybody vampires claim my movies magically murdered him.

Paranormal investigator Wyatt Thomas treks into the dangerous Honey Island Swamp in search of a forbidden convent where all the sisters are vampires When French Quarter detective Wyatt Thomas is awakened from a dark dream by his cat Kisses, he witnesses an eerie funeral procession from the balcony of his Chartres Street apartment. Riding in the limousine ahead of a hearse is his former lover, Desire Vallee - the first time he’s seen her since she became a nun and entered a convent. Desire’s skin is ashen, her once dark hair now ghostly white. He's left with a single clue. Is Desire in ...

Seventeen-year-old Everly Hart became a "griever" the day she witnessed a tragic death. Imbued with a second sight, she can now see what others cannot—supernatural creatures called grimms. Then she receives an invitation from the Grimm Society to attend Gravemark, an exclusive school where grievers are trained to track and reap grimms. Everly thought navigating high school and dating was tough, but now her school assignments can kill her.

Life on magical parole can be a real witch… I’ve got a final shot at freedom, but when my strongest ally is found murdered, everything is on the line—including my own life. With my rag-tag band of supernatural friends in tow, I have to launch my biggest—and most dangerous—investigation yet. I’ve got to stop the killer without setting off the SPA’s alarms or else I can kiss my last chance goodbye.

Agent Eden Fury is currently building a bridge over troubled waters and she's not sure if she has the tools to finish the job. The truth about her personal life is out and Eden wants nothing more than to put the genie back in the bottle. Unfortunately that won’t happen without the type of magic she refuses to touch. With a mayoral election in full swing and a dead body in her family’s yard, Eden is struggling to keep her nose clean and her head above those troubled waters

I've finally taken a big step in my personal life when my professional life heats up with a spate of behavioral issues that seem unrelated. When some of the issues become life-threatening, I know that time is running out, but I'm no closer to identifying the root cause. Can I put out another supernatural fire before it spreads or am I doomed to watch the town go up in flames?

A magical serial killer is stalking the Occult town of Wrackton. Hypnotic whistling causes victims to chew their own tongues off, leading to the killer being dubbed the Whistler (original, right?). Enter the Undetectables, a detective agency run by three witches and a ghost in a cat costume (don't ask). They are hired to investigate the murders, but with their only case so far left unsolved, will they be up to the task?

Fiona MacDonald and her sisters share the mission of maintaining peace in New Orlands, where vampires and shapeshifters hide in plain sight among mankind. As a vampire keeper, is Fiona’s duty to investigate the discovery of a body drained of blood, but this time she must join forces with Detective Jagger DeFarge, who is not only the cop in charge of the investigation but is also a vampire himself.

When a woman is murdered behind the library, Chief Fox realizes the victim was more than she seemed and enlists the aid of Chipping Cheddar’s resident Federal Bureau of Magic agent, Eden Fury. The woman’s death also triggers the arrival of Alcina, a powerful supernatural hellbent on uncovering the killer’s identity and bringing them to justice. Alcina views Eden as her polar opposite on the supernatural scale of good and evil and doesn’t trust her to conduct a proper investigation, no matter what her badge says.

This collection includes What Vengeance Comes, Cold Sanctuary, and Crimson Deep.